Jose Perurena

Dear Sportsfans,

There is always something special about canoe sprint events in Szeged, and when those events are also a world championships and Olympic qualifier, the excitement reaches a whole new level.Many in the canoe sprint community regard Hungary, and Szeged in particular, as the spiritual home of the sport. The events always draw incredibly colourful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowds.

The athletes love competing here. The atmosphere pushes them to their limits and beyond, a perfect environment for competitors who will be striving to qualify for a shot at Olympic glory in Tokyo next year.The city first hosted an ICF World Championships in 1998, and this year will be the fourth occasion canoe sprint’s premiere event will be contested in Szeged. Hungary has a proud canoeing history, with numerous Olympic and world champions. They also have a proud record of hosting world-class events.

We know the organisers have gone to great lengths to make sure this year’s world championships will be the best ever. These are exciting times for our sport, and we can be certain whenever Hungary and Szeged are involved, canoe sprint is in safe hands.

On behalf of the ICF and the entire canoeing community, we wish everyone involved in Szeged 2019 the very best. It is going to be a fantastic opportunity to showcase canoe sprint to a massive international audience.

Mr. Jose PerurenaPresident Of International Canoe Federation

Dr. Tünde SZabó

Dear Sportsfans,

It is a privilege for Hungary to be the host of a major sporting event once again.After having hosted the championship in 2011, this is the fourth IFC Canoe Sprint World Championships that Hungary will host. In the city of Szeged, where the World Championships will take place on a completely renewed, modernized racecourse, our athletes will have the opportunity to compete in their home country, in front of the Hungarian public.

This year’s World Championships will be particularly important as athletes will be competing for eighty percent of the Tokyo Olympic quota, so we can rightly say that this will be one of the most important competitions leading up to the Olympic Games.

Canoeing has been one of our most successful sports in Hungary for many years. We are, for instance, leading the overall medal table with nearly 500 medals. The countless achievement is a proof of the professionalism of our athletes and experts who are doing their very best to bring glory to our country.One of the top priorities of the Hungarian government is to organize as many key international events as possible. I am confident that the Szeged World Championships will also be among the most prominent events where we can once again unite to support the Hungarian athletes, and show how spectacularly we are able to perform, and finally, what a wonderful place Hungary really is.

I wish lots of strength, persistence to all our athletes in their preparation and to all the organisers for a successful execution of the IFC Canoe Sprint World Championships.

Dr. Tünde SzabóState Secretary for Sport

Gábor Schmidt

Dear Guests,

It is a great honour to welcome the world’s best canoe sprint athletes to Hungary, where the city of Szeged will host the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships for the fourth time after having hosted the same in 1998, 2006 and 2011. We are especially honoured to host again, similarly to 2011, the world’s most important Canoeing Competition with Olympic Qualification.

I can assure you that the Organizing Committee will not take things light-heartedly having earned a great recognition over recent decades. On behalf of my colleagues, I can wholeheartedly promise you that we will continue to do our very best this time around also! Our ultimate goal is to give all participants of the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, including journalists, athletes, supporters and VIP guests a memorable experience from their visit to the Olympic Centre of Szeged by the Maty stream in August.

Thanks to the Government of Hungary that has supported us over the past two years, we are now able to welcome our guests in a completely refurbished and bigger facility. Also, thanks to these resources the competition will receive a grandiose sporting event promotion making the World Championships ever more spectacular and exciting both for supporters on the ground and in front of the screens.

The Organizing Committee has chosen a modest, yet extremely ambitious slogan for the event, which is not to be conceived as a sign of being overly confident, but as one that tells the story of Hungarian Canoeing in recent decades. A story of success at World Championships abroad, a story of success at Olympic regattas and a story of success at World Championships hosted by Hungary.

Be our guest and take part in writing this outstanding story of success! Let’s meet in August in Szeged!

Mr. Gábor SchmidtPresident of the Hungarian Canoe Federation,Head of the Organizing Committee of the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

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